Why am
I creating this editorial page on TurtleTails.com ? Why am I stating
my opinions on a variety of subjects pertaining to reptiles and amphibians
while before I did not even use my name on TurtleTails.com ? I can
no longer keep silent! I have a different point of view than the prevailing
wisdom you hear blindly repeated over and over. I owe it to my turtles
and I owe it to you to speak out.

If you are not interested
in what I have to say, you may still enjoy TurtleTails.com as you
have for a long time. I will continue to add pictures and tours and to
answer email. TurtleTails.com is a different kind of web site for
turtle lovers and the opinions I will present will probably be different
from what you have read before. I think my opinions will not be so different
from the opinions of many of you who enjoy keeping turtles and find TurtleTails.com
useful and enjoyable.

In these editorial
pages you will know that I am expressing my opinions. I will not tell you
the way it is; I will tell you the way I think it is. I will not tell you
what to think: I will tell you what I think. Just like I do not tell you
how to keep your turtles; I tell you how I keep my turtles. I think this
is a huge difference.

Since this is my
opinion page, I feel I must tell you who I am. If you have read many of
the tours and pages on TurtleTails.com , you already know me pretty
well. Many of you have exchanged email with me and I am pleased to have
met a few of you.

I will state some
broad opinions and discuss some general subjects rebutting some prevailing
wisdom. This will lead into reviewing some state regulations beginning
with my home state of Pennsylvania. New rules have been enacted that I
strongly disagree with. I feel that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
has taken dead aim at native species reptile and amphibian pet owners.
I would dearly love to shake things up a little.

Later I may review
regulations in other states. Maybe together we can work for some needed
changes. We can make a difference.